How many presents do your tweens get?

[Anonymous]

My teens get about 10 from us.

However, by the time kids are teens, many of their "gifts" are clothing that they need anyway. I.e. my son needs new sweatpants since his current pairs are all above his ankles. So new sweatpants (2-3 pairs) are a gift. Frankly, if it wasn't Christmas time I'd just buy them for him because he needs them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours isn't the number of gifts so much as the dollar amount. We pick an amount we want to spend on each kid and get the items off their list that work.

DS asked for a PS5, some games, and some shoes (3 or 4 pairs).

DD asked for a bunch of makeup and skincare items, shoes, clothes, a ton of books, and an Apple Watch.

DS is getting a PS5, 2 games, and 1 pair of shoes.

DD is getting an Apple Watch, 2 pairs of shoes, makeup & skincare stuff, 4 books, and a few store gift cards to buy the clothes herself.

Both of their Xmas hauls add up to the same amount within around $15 of each other. They'll also be receiving gifts from their grandparents and other relatives, too.

Wow. Spoil your kids much?

My kids don't know any other kids who don't have a game system with games or shoes. My kids don't have the most recent game systems, like a Steam Deck or PS5 because they have other expensive hobbies and ask for those things instead. If giving your kids a game system and shoes, or other similarly priced items, is spoiling then I guess every kid I know is spoiled?

Rich bubble momma

Nope, I'm the person you posted and I'm not. I actually do spend a lot of time in the rich bubble, but I'm also a Title 1 teacher, and am myself pretty solidly middle class. The kids I know are a pretty diverse group of kids. All of them have shoes, and almost all of them have a video game system that might not be new or the latest thing now, but was new when it was bought. Almost all of them have bikes.

[Anonymous]

Usually we do like 4-5 gifts from us. This year, DS asked for a Xbox so he is still getting about 5 gifts, but DD is getting more because we try to keep the amount spent the same.

[Anonymous]

Yikes this thread has gotten nasty.

[Anonymous]

My 12 year old has never seen a game system, she is getting mostly books plus a few clothes she asked for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 12 year old has never seen a game system, she is getting mostly books plus a few clothes she asked for.

Your 12 year old has never SEEN a game system? Never been invited to a friend's house who had one, or gone to Best Buy for some reason?

That seems very odd to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours isn't the number of gifts so much as the dollar amount. We pick an amount we want to spend on each kid and get the items off their list that work.

DS asked for a PS5, some games, and some shoes (3 or 4 pairs).

DD asked for a bunch of makeup and skincare items, shoes, clothes, a ton of books, and an Apple Watch.

DS is getting a PS5, 2 games, and 1 pair of shoes.

DD is getting an Apple Watch, 2 pairs of shoes, makeup & skincare stuff, 4 books, and a few store gift cards to buy the clothes herself.

Both of their Xmas hauls add up to the same amount within around $15 of each other. They'll also be receiving gifts from their grandparents and other relatives, too.

Wow. Spoil your kids much?

Sounds normal to me. Same as NY house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours isn't the number of gifts so much as the dollar amount. We pick an amount we want to spend on each kid and get the items off their list that work.

DS asked for a PS5, some games, and some shoes (3 or 4 pairs).

DD asked for a bunch of makeup and skincare items, shoes, clothes, a ton of books, and an Apple Watch.

DS is getting a PS5, 2 games, and 1 pair of shoes.

DD is getting an Apple Watch, 2 pairs of shoes, makeup & skincare stuff, 4 books, and a few store gift cards to buy the clothes herself.

Both of their Xmas hauls add up to the same amount within around $15 of each other. They'll also be receiving gifts from their grandparents and other relatives, too.

Wow. Spoil your kids much?

Sounds normal to me. Same as NY house.

My house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours isn't the number of gifts so much as the dollar amount. We pick an amount we want to spend on each kid and get the items off their list that work.

DS asked for a PS5, some games, and some shoes (3 or 4 pairs).

DD asked for a bunch of makeup and skincare items, shoes, clothes, a ton of books, and an Apple Watch.

DS is getting a PS5, 2 games, and 1 pair of shoes.

DD is getting an Apple Watch, 2 pairs of shoes, makeup & skincare stuff, 4 books, and a few store gift cards to buy the clothes herself.

Both of their Xmas hauls add up to the same amount within around $15 of each other. They'll also be receiving gifts from their grandparents and other relatives, too.

Wow. Spoil your kids much?

My kids don't know any other kids who don't have a game system with games or shoes. My kids don't have the most recent game systems, like a Steam Deck or PS5 because they have other expensive hobbies and ask for those things instead. If giving your kids a game system and shoes, or other similarly priced items, is spoiling then I guess every kid I know is spoiled?

Rich bubble momma

Oh please, if you had that money you’d spend it on your kids during the holidays too.

[Anonymous]

I give my kids about 10-12 gifts - nice things that they really really wanted. But their classmates get way more. We manage to hit the sweet spot of having wishlist items without an over abundance. Everyone is happy and satisfied, and gets to enjoy their new goods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours isn't the number of gifts so much as the dollar amount. We pick an amount we want to spend on each kid and get the items off their list that work.

DS asked for a PS5, some games, and some shoes (3 or 4 pairs).

DD asked for a bunch of makeup and skincare items, shoes, clothes, a ton of books, and an Apple Watch.

DS is getting a PS5, 2 games, and 1 pair of shoes.

DD is getting an Apple Watch, 2 pairs of shoes, makeup & skincare stuff, 4 books, and a few store gift cards to buy the clothes herself.

Both of their Xmas hauls add up to the same amount within around $15 of each other. They'll also be receiving gifts from their grandparents and other relatives, too.

Wow. Spoil your kids much?

My kids don't know any other kids who don't have a game system with games or shoes. My kids don't have the most recent game systems, like a Steam Deck or PS5 because they have other expensive hobbies and ask for those things instead. If giving your kids a game system and shoes, or other similarly priced items, is spoiling then I guess every kid I know is spoiled?

Rich bubble momma

Oh please, if you had that money you’d spend it on your kids during the holidays too.

I'm the PP who got called a rich bubble momma here. I actually don't think that's true. In my experience, moderate and lower income people save specifically for Christmas, and if their kids get something nice, like a bike or a game system it's always a gift. This is both because being able to give nice gifts is a point of pride, and because they want their kids to understand that these things are gifts not expectations. UMC and UC families boast about not spoiling their kids at Christmas, and saying they make their kids use "their own" money for things, but the reason their kids have their own money, is either because they get money as gifts, or they get generous allowances, or they get money from "working" for other UMC/UC people who pay their friends kids at inflated rates. Or they decide something like an expensive pair of shoes, or sporting equipment or a bike is a "need" and buy it at a random point in the year, when lower income kids might wait for Christmas for the same thing.

That's just my observation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours isn't the number of gifts so much as the dollar amount. We pick an amount we want to spend on each kid and get the items off their list that work.

DS asked for a PS5, some games, and some shoes (3 or 4 pairs).

DD asked for a bunch of makeup and skincare items, shoes, clothes, a ton of books, and an Apple Watch.

DS is getting a PS5, 2 games, and 1 pair of shoes.

DD is getting an Apple Watch, 2 pairs of shoes, makeup & skincare stuff, 4 books, and a few store gift cards to buy the clothes herself.

Both of their Xmas hauls add up to the same amount within around $15 of each other. They'll also be receiving gifts from their grandparents and other relatives, too.

Wow. Spoil your kids much?

My kids don't know any other kids who don't have a game system with games or shoes. My kids don't have the most recent game systems, like a Steam Deck or PS5 because they have other expensive hobbies and ask for those things instead. If giving your kids a game system and shoes, or other similarly priced items, is spoiling then I guess every kid I know is spoiled?

Rich bubble momma

Oh please, if you had that money you’d spend it on your kids during the holidays too.

I'm the PP who got called a rich bubble momma here. I actually don't think that's true. In my experience, moderate and lower income people save specifically for Christmas, and if their kids get something nice, like a bike or a game system it's always a gift. This is both because being able to give nice gifts is a point of pride, and because they want their kids to understand that these things are gifts not expectations. UMC and UC families boast about not spoiling their kids at Christmas, and saying they make their kids use "their own" money for things, but the reason their kids have their own money, is either because they get money as gifts, or they get generous allowances, or they get money from "working" for other UMC/UC people who pay their friends kids at inflated rates. Or they decide something like an expensive pair of shoes, or sporting equipment or a bike is a "need" and buy it at a random point in the year, when lower income kids might wait for Christmas for the same thing.

That's just my observation.

Agree. I’ll add that children in affluent families have so many things already, they don’t want anything extra in their home. Their kids had too many toys when they were little (basements overflowing with crap), Pottery Barn bedrooms, sports equipment, shelves of books, the best gaming systems, and so on. Maybe their kids are spoiled and they’re sick of all of it. Parents go minimalist and it’s even a tiny point of pride for them. I’ll also add many wealthy people go overboard.

In contrast, we had a smaller home, no basement, so had to be careful about accumulating junk. I do not buy my kids expensive things outside of birthdays/Christmas. If they lose a water bottle, they go without. If they need new sneakers in November, I say put it on your Christmas list. My kids eye things they want all year long. We do not have to save for gifts, but I do stay under a budget. They have a very nice Christmas and they always look forward to the next one. On top of gift giving, the holiday is very sentimental for us and we have meaningful traditions.

[Anonymous]

Around 10 gifts to open, but some of it is stuff they need anyway (clothes, new batting gloves, new backpack etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 12 year old has never seen a game system, she is getting mostly books plus a few clothes she asked for.

unless she goes to a Waldorf school or you homeschool I seriously doubt this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 12 year old has never seen a game system, she is getting mostly books plus a few clothes she asked for.

unless she goes to a Waldorf school or you homeschool I seriously doubt this.

She can play video games on her computer or chromebook. Mine plays it on a gaming computer and has no interest in a system.